Four things to watch for on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 16

• WHERE: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wis.)
• WHEN: 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

The Saints, under interim head coach Darren Rizzi, have shown some fight in recent weeks and look to do so again in the cold weather at Lambeau Field on Monday night.

New Orleans (5-9) has a 3-2 winning record under Rizzi since he took over for Dennis Allen. The Saints have also dealt with the injury problem at key positions all season. Starting quarterback Derek Carr has missed four games with injury, the latest a broken left hand, while running back Alvin Kamara (groin) has been ruled out for Monday’s game.

Meanwhile, Green Bay (10-4) is in a tough NFC North division trying to catch Detroit and Minnesota in the playoffs. It is the first time since 2021 that Green Bay has achieved 10 wins and the 33rd time in franchise history that the Packers have achieved 10 plus wins in a season.

Although the playoff run is all but over for New Orleans, Monday’s result for the Packers could be a playoff clincher if needed (depending on Sunday’s results) or potentially serve to bolster their postseason positioning.

Here are four things to watch for when the Saints visit the Packers Monday night on ESPN and NFL+:

1) Saints hand over the keys to Rattler. Jake Haener made his first NFL start of the season last week against the Commanders, where he got a chance to showcase his skills. Unfortunately for Haener, he faltered and was replaced by rookie Spencer Rattler at halftime in the Week 15 loss. In relief, Rattler led the New Orleans offense to four scores (two touchdowns and two field goals). Monday will be the Rattler’s fourth career start. The fifth-round pick out of South Carolina has completed 69 of 120 passes for 706 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Green Bay’s defense could see a boost with Jaire Alexander, who has been inactive since Week 12 with a knee injury listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup. If the Saints want to pull off an upset in Green Bay, Rattler will need to take care of the ball against the high-powered Packers defense.

2) Is Jordan Love heating up at the right time? The Packers QB has been on one of the most efficient runs in team history. Love has recorded over 100 passes in each of the last five games, compared to once over the first 10 weeks of the season. Only Aaron Rodgers has a longer streak with a Packers QB (eight games in 2010 and 12 in 2011) since 1950, according to NFL Research. To begin the season, Love threw at least one interception in each of his first eight starts, but he has been turnover-free in the last four games. In Sunday’s win against the Seahawks, Love threw for 229 yards to seven different receivers and connected with Romeo Doubs for two scores to continue a developing late-season trend. Since becoming a starter in 2023, Love has led all QBs with a 31-4 TD-to-INT ratio and a 114.1 passer rating from Week 11 games on (including playoffs). The Green Bay offense has been one of the hottest offenses, scoring 30 or more points in each of the last four games. Love has proven dangerous in December, and Monday’s game is an opportunity for the rest of the league to take notice again.

3) New Orleans is looking for playmakers to step up. The Saints offense will be different, with Alvin Kamara the latest star to miss time. Kamara leads the team in rushing yards (950) and receiving yards (543). He is the only Saints player with more than 500 scrimmage yards in 2024. The next man on the field for the Saints is Kendre Miller. In Week 15, Miller ran the ball nine times for 46 yards and had a big 17-yard rush against the Commanders. While he isn’t the dual threat that RB Kamara is, Miller has the potential to burst for a big play or two. Wide receiver Chris Olave was designated to return this week from an injured reserve effort following his second concussion of the season in Week 9. But the Saints ruled Olave out for Monday’s game after he was a limited participant in practice all week. So Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s (chest/illness; questionable) availability is important with a rookie QB making his fourth NFL start. With Kamara and Olave out, it could be a long night for New Orleans’ offense if they can’t get going quickly.

4) Packers RB is having a career year. It looks like Josh Jacobs has found the perfect situation by signing with Green Bay in the offseason. Entering Week 16, Jacobs ranks third in the NFL with 1,147 rushing yards, trailing only Saquon Barkley (1,688) and Derrick Henry (1,474). Packers RB has 13 scrimmage TDs, which is tied with Ahman Green (2000) and Billy Howton (1952) for most by a player in his first season with Green Bay. The New Orleans defense is allowing 134.4 rush yards per game and has given up 100-plus rushing yards to five different players. The last time Jacobs rushed for over 100 yards was back in Week 12 against the 49ers. He could be in line for a big performance if the Saints defense finds it difficult to hold on as it has been.